Controlled breaches meant to divert the rivers’ flow have failed to contain the deluge, submerging dozens of villages and crippling major transport routes.

Floodwaters have reached the Sukkur-Multan Motorway, forcing its closure for the past two days. The Jalalpur Pirwala Interchange and surrounding areas are now underwater.

Villages, including Noraja Bhutta, Mouza Kanu, Wasti Sardar Mir Chakar Khan, Sardarabad, Tar­anda Basharat and Rasoolpur, have been submerged. Union councils such as Chenab Rasoolpur and Khair­­pur Jadeed are also severely affected.

Rescue teams recovered the body of a 65-year-old man from Bahadar­pur, near the Jalalpur Interchange. In Alipur tehsil, the Azmatpur dyke continues to cause flooding in low-lying areas despite a significant drop in water levels at Panjnad Headworks from 700,000 to 296,000 cusecs.

Multan DC Waseem Hamid Sindhu said traffic was completely suspended from Multan to Uch Sharif due to the motorway being inundated. He added that the district administration was working to protect the Jalalpur Pirwala section of the motorway amid the worsening flood situation.

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